In a significant legal development, a federal appeals court has upheld protections for Venezuelan immigrants residing in the United States, despite efforts by the Trump administration to revoke their Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in San Francisco, declined to halt a lower court’s ruling that deemed the administration’s attempt to end TPS for 600,000 Venezuelans unlawful. The three-judge panel emphasized that terminating TPS would expose these individuals to wrongful deportation, family separation, and job loss, outcomes Congress never intended. The Department of Justice has indicated plans to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, which previously sided with the administration in a related case. The TPS program, established in 1991, offers temporary work authorization and deportation relief to migrants from countries facing crises such as natural disasters or armed conflict. The Biden administration had extended TPS to Venezuelans and Haitians, but Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reversed these extensions in February 2025, claiming they were no longer justified. The recent ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by affected migrants and the National TPS Alliance, challenging Noem’s actions. While the decision primarily impacts Venezuelans, it also indirectly supports Haitian immigrants, whose TPS status was similarly revoked. The legal battle highlights the ongoing tension between immigration policies and humanitarian protections in the U.S.
Trump administration may not end Venezuelan migrants’ protections, court rules
